CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY BUYS LANDMARK HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTION STUDIO

Charlton Heston starred in 'El Cid' which was filmed at the studio

Greetings! Please Share & Subcribe.

The Church of Scientology has bought a landmark Hollywood production studio as it seeks to increase its global reach through television and the internet.

The 300,000 sq ft lot on Sunset Boulevard is currently home to KCET, the largest independent public television station in the United States.

It was used in the past to shoot films including "El Cid," starring Charlton Heston, and "The Hurricane," directed by John Ford.

The studio includes two sound stages and state-of-the-art post production, satellite and internet broadcasting facilities. The undisclosed asking price ran into millions of dollars. It has been valued at $14 million.

The organisation, founded in 1953 by science-fiction writer L Ron Hubbard, counts Hollywood stars Tom Cruise and John Travolta among its followers.

It already has production facilities and numerous sound stages on a 500-acre site outside Los Angeles.

It said the newly acquired Hollywood studio would become a "central media hub" for its network of thousands of centres around the world. It will be used to produce television programmes, short information films and internet content.

The studio's satellite uplink will be used to transmit video in high definition to centres worldwide, including footage of Scientology events.

In a statement the organisation said: "It is a perfect fit, in both size and location, for the expansion of the Church of Scientology's production of religious and social betterment audio-visual properties, and we welcomed the unexpected opportunity to acquire it." The struggling KCET station is planning to move to smaller premises.

The property is the longest continuously producing studio in Hollywood and has been in operation since 1912. It was formerly home to Monogram Pictures and Allied Artists.

Its recognised status as a historic and cultural monument protects it from being altered.

The Church of Scientology already owns dozens of properties in Los Angeles, including four on Hollywood Boulevard, and the studio is close to its headquarters in the city.

TELEGRAPH